Elevator-controlling device



C. F. QUICK. ELEVATOR CONTROLL ING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 15.1920.

Patqnted Sept. 13, 1921.

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APPLICATION FILED SEPT 15, 1920.

PatentedSept 13, 192 1.

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C. F. QUICK. ELEVATOR CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man sum 15, 1920.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

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attorney Jig .12 5g CHARLES F. QUICK,

imam OFFICE.

OF DLATJLAS, TEXAS.

ELEVATOR-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

Application filed September 15, 1920. Serial No. 410,496.

T 0 all whome't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAnLnsF. QUICK, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator-ControllingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in elevatorcontrolling devices.

The invention has particularly to do with means for breaking or openingthe main electrical circuit when the door to the elevator is opened, andmaintaining such condition until the door is closed; thus preventing thestarting of the elevator car untilthe door is closed. A particularfeature of the invention is the provision of means whereby thedoor mustnot only be closed, but latched before the circuit is closed and beforethe car can be operated. One of the purposes ofthe invention is toarrange the parts in such a manner that they will not interfere \viththeoperation of the elevator car or offer pro jections or obstructionswhich might be exposed through the opening at the front of the elevatorcar, thuseliminating the possibility of entangling the clothing of thepassengers who might be standing near said opening whilethe car is inoperation. Another purpose is to eliminate unnecessary parts and toprecludethe disarrangement of the working parts as well as injury to thesame. Another feature of the invention is the provision of suchadjustments which will make for the proper timing of the operating partsto suit the various conditions under which the device may have tooperate.

In carrying out the invention I provide a circuit controlling devicearranged to be mounted on top of an elevator car. The device is providedwith a movable switch mem ber whereby the circuit is opened and closed.Means is provided on the switch member to project in the path of anoperating element mounted on the door of the elevator shaft and soarranged that when the door is; opened and closed the switch member willbe moved to open and close the circuit. A particular feature is thearrangement ofthe parts whereby it is necessary to bring 'the elevatordoor to a position where it will be latched, before the switch member ismoved to the point to close the circuit. The device 1s also arranged sothattherecanbe no conflict between the operating member and the partscarried on thecar.

The invention will be more readilyunderstood from a reading of the"following specification and by reference to the accompanylng drawings,in. which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial elevation of an elevator door and car,the doorbeing openand a device constructed in accordance withmy invention beingmounted on top ofthe elevatorcar with the switch member in its openposition whereby the circuit is broken, Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthesame, Fig. 3 is a detailshowing the spring finger carried by theoperating yoke,

Fig. 4 a front elevation of the controlling device,

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the same,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same,

Fig. 7 is a View showingthe'controlling device in vertical section andindicating the circuit connection with the elevator car,

Fig. 8 is a plan view. of the spring finger, Fig. 9 is a plan view of aportion of an elevator car and door showing the door latched, but theswitch member is in open position,

F 10 is a similar view showing the door fully closed and theswitchmember in its closed position whereby the circuit is closed, Fig.11 showsthe latch engaged before the door is fully closed,

Fig. 12 is a detail showing a door fully closed and the latch stillengaged, a Fig. 13 is a plan view of the hinge joint of the operatingyoke, and

Fig. 14 isan elevation of thesame. In the drawings thenumeral 10designates a switch or controlling box which has its front side open.The box is supported be tween upright brackets 11 having its sidesattached thereto by screws 12 passing throughholes 13 in said brackets.The holes .13 are arranged at intervals whereby the i the top of anelevator car by screws 1 1.

In the front open side of the box a door or switch member '15 is mountedalong one side by a hinge 16 so as to swing outwardly. The

box is disposed at such an angle that the angularity of the brackets aswell as the angle at which the box is mounted in the brackets as will beclearly seen from observa tion of Figs. 41, 5 and 6, in particular.

The swinging of the door is controlled by two elements, one of which isan operating element or bar 17 mounted on the elevator door B. The doorB is not carried by the car A, but is mounted in the elevator shaft atthe floor landing, there being a door at each landing. The bar 17 isarranged to project upwardlyof the door and is disposed at the edge ofthe door near the center of the car, which edge is usually not exposedby the opening or doorway inthe car which is generally less in widththan the elevator door. It is customary to make the front of elevatorcars with a doorway and a closed panel. By arranging the bar 17 at theinner edge of the door. it will be covered by the panel when theelevator car passes the same. On the face of the door 15 and near itslower end a yoke 18 is mounted. The box is mounted so that when theelevator car travels up and down the shaft the bar 17 will be receivedwithin the yoke 18, and the bar has sufiicient length to remain withinsaid yoke when the car is stoppedat the floor landing or either a fewinches above or below said landing. When the door is slid to open thesame the bar 17 engages one of the sides of the yoke will swing the door15 open.

The other element which contributes to the operation or swinging of thedoor is a counter-balancing weight 19 mounted on a screw threaded stud20 extending outwardly from the upper portion of the door. It is pointedout that after the door has been swung outwardly or opened to apredetermined point, the weight will continue the swinging of the door,thus permitting the bar 17 to pass onward until the door B of theelevator is fully opened. By adjusting the weight 19 inwardly andoutwardly, the

pointat which it begins toswing the door may be regulated. An arm 21mounted on the side of the box is engaged by the yoke 18 to support thedoor 15 when the same has been fully opened. The stop arm 21 holds thepart so that when the elevator door B is closed it will pass'the nearside of the yoke 18, but engage the opposite side or leg and thus swingth door 15 to close the same.

After the door 15 has been swung to a certain position it will beoverbalanced by the weight 19, which will continue the swinging movementand thus close the door 15.

lVithin the box 10 I mount terminal sockets 22 which are suitablyconnected with the controlling means of the elevator car as in dicatedin Fig. 7, the details of such connection being considered unnecessaryas it is very necessary to connect the maincircuit of the elevator inseries with the terminals 22. Each terminal 22 has secured therein acontact 23 which may be of carbon or any other suitable material. On theinner side of the door 15 a contact plate 21 is disposed and is carriedon a bar 25 of insulating material. The bar' 25 has a stem 26 passingthrough a hole in the door 15, and carries a nut 27 on its outer endwhich limits the inward displacement of said bar. Spring guides 28 areseated in the inner face of the door and are attached to the bar 25 soas to force the plate 24 into close contact with the contact 23 when thedoor 15 is closed as will be obvious. It will be seen that when the door15 is closed the main circuit of the elevator is closed and when saiddoor 15 is opened said circuit will be broken or opened.

In case the elevator door B should be left open, the bar 17 might strikethe yoke 18 when the elevator car was passing up or down. By observingthe drawings it will be seen that when the door 15 is closed only theleft hand side of the yoke is in the path of the bar 17 and on this sideof the yoke I" provide a finger 29 which is pivoted and held by a spring30 so that it is free to swing upwardly or downwardly and will bereturned to its normal position by its spring as will be obvious. If bysome manipulation the door 15 of the box should be closed and the door Bstill remain open. upon attempting to close the door B the bar 17 wouldstrike against the side of the finger 29. In order that the door B maybe fully closed and no harm done under such a condition I provide ahinged joint 31 in the bottom of the yoke as is illustrated in detail inFigs. 13 and 1 1-. I include with this joint acoil spring 32 having oneend bearing against the hinged side of the yoke and tending to hold thesame in a normal position. The hinged joint is arranged so that the lefthand side of the yoke can swing only to the right and cannot swing tothe left; thus when the finger 29 is engaged by the bar 17 in openingthe elevator door B, the left hand side of the yoke will not swing onits hinge joint 31, but will only swing when the elevator door is movedto the right and engages the finger from its left hand side as will beobvious.

When the elevator car arrives at the floor landing the bar 17 will standwithin the yoke 18 andthe door B of the elevator shaft will be fullyclosed asis shown in Fig. 10. All elevator doors are provided with alatch of some character and I have indicated the same inthe drawings bynumeral 33. The latch engages a pin or stub 34 on the door jamb 35. Theoperator must firstraise this latch and disengage it from the in 34beforethe door B can be opened. 1 opening the door the operator slidesthe same to the left, whereby the bar 17 enga es the finger 29 of theyoke 18 and swings he door 15 of the box 10 outward, thereby opening thesame. When the door 15 is swung outward the contact plate 24 iswithdrawn from the contacts 23 and the main circuit thus broken. The bar17 swings the door 15 outwardly until it is overbalanced by the weight19 which continues the outward swing of the door 15 until the lattercomes to rest by the yoke engaging the arm 21. With the parts in thisposltion the finger 29 iswithdrawn from the path of the bar 17 so thatthe opening of the door B may be continued freely.

With the main circuitbroken the elevator car cannot be started until thedoor is closed. The operator slides'the door B to the right and as saiddoor approaches the jamb 35 the bar 17 is carriedinto the yoke so as toengage the ri ht hand member thereof and thus swing t e door 15 to closethe same. The parts are so arranged that the latch 33 will ride over andengage the hinge 34 as is indicated in Figs. 9 and 11, before the door15 is fully closed and the circuit closed. This action is controlled bythe adjustment of the counter-balancing weight 19 and the curvature ofthe right hand member of the yoke 18. The yoke must be swung to acertain point before it overcomes the influence of the weight to holdthe door in an open position. The parts may be timed so that the door 15will close immediately after the latch engages the pin 34, and thus whenthe closing of the door B is completed the door 15 will be closed andthe circuit will be closed so that the elevator car may be operated.

It is pointed out that the operation of the door 15 may be'controlled toa minute degree by adjusting the weight 19 which may be readilyaccomplished. The device comprises a few number of parts and may bereadily placed in position without altering the elevator or its euipment.

It is pointed out t at the swinging of the door 15 of the switch box isnot dependent upon the counter-balancing weight as after said door isswung past the point of center of gravity, it will continue to swingwithout assistance from other e ements.

What I claim, is:

I 1. In apparatus of the character described, a circuit closing memberadapted to be pivotally mounted upon an elevator car and having its axisof turning movement inclined whereby the member will automaticallycontinue its turning movement in the same direction when being swungpast dead center, and means including an element adapted to bemountedupon a landing door to effect the starting turning movement of saidmember.

2. In an elevator controlling device, the combination with a slidingelevator door having a latch for fastening it in its closed position, ofan operating member carried by the door, aswitch box mounted on anelevator car, a swinging switch member mounted on the box and carryingan electrical contact for closing the elevator circuit within the box,an operating device mounted on the switch member in the path of theoperating member carried by the door, the switch member being swung bythe operating member and operating device when the door of the elevatoris opened, and means for controlling the swinging movement of the switchmember whereby the elevator door is latched before the switch membercompletes its movement and before it closes the circuit.

3. In an elevator controlling dcvice,a box, means for supporting saidbox at an angle, a swinging door mounted on the box, electrical contactsmounted in the box, a circuit closing element carried by the door andadapted to engage the contact when the door is closed, a yoke mounted onthe door for swinging the same, and a counter-balancing weight mountedon the door for controlling the swing of the same, in combination withan operating member adapted to be mounted on the landing door of ashaft.

4. In an elevator controlling device, a pair of angular brackets, a boxmounted at an angle to the perpendicular between said brackets, a doorhinged on said box, contact for electric circuits mounted in the box, a

circuit closing member carried by the door in position to engage thecontact, the counterbalancing weight mounted on the door, and a yokemounted on the door and including a resiliently mounted finger on ahinged side, in combination with an operating member to be receivedwithin the yoke for swinging the door.

5. In apparatus of the character described, a circuit closing memberadapted to be pivotally mounted upon an elevator car and having its axisof turning movement inclined with respect to the perpendicular, andmeans including an element adapted to be mounted upon a landing door toeffect the movement of said member.

6. In apparatus of the character described, an elevator car, a circuitassociated therewith, a landing door, a circuit closing member pivotallymounted upon the elevator car and having its axis of turning movementinclined from, the perpendicular, a weight carried by said member andextending laterally therefrom, andmeans including an element mountedupon the landing door to turn said member.

7 In apparatus of the character described, an elevator car, a circuitassociated therewith, a landing door, means to open and close thecircuit includinga member pivoted upon the carand having its axis ofturning ing arms.

8. In apparatus of the character described, an elevator car, a circuitassociated therewith, a landing door, means for opening and closing thecircuit including a member pivotally mounted upon the car and having itsaxis of turning movement inclined, a rod connected with the member andextending laterally therefrom, a weight adjustably mounted upon the rod,and means including an element mounted upon the landing door to effectthe movement of said member.

9. In apparatus of the character described, an elevator car, .a circuitassociated therewith, a landing door, a casing mounted upon the elevatorcar and inclined from the perpendicular, a door for the casing pivotallymounted thereon and having its axis of turn ing movement substantiallyparallel with the longitudinal axis of the casing, circuit closing meansactuated by the door, a weight attached to the door and extendinglaterally therefrom, a pair of shifting arms carried by the door, and anelement carried by the landing door and adapted to cooperate with saidshifting arms.

10. In apparatus of the character described, an elevator car, a circuitassociated therewith, a landing door, means for opening and closing thecircuit including a swinging member, a shifting fork secured to themember and embodying a pair of arms, means whereby one arm may swing inone direction generally horizontally, such arm embodying a verticallyswinging extension, and an element mounted upon the landing doorv toco-act with the shifting fork.

11. In apparatus of the character described, as a subcombination, ashifting fork adapted to be mounted upon an elevator em bodying a pairof spaced arms, which are adapted to receive therebetween a bar carriedby a landing door, one arm having a spring pressed hinged joint topermit the same to swing generally horizontally in one direction withrelation to the other arm.

12. In apparatus of the character described, as a subcombination, ashifting fork adapted to be mounted upon an elevator embodying a pair ofspaced arms, which are adapted to receive therebetween a bar carried bya landing door, one arm having an extension pivoted thereto and adaptedto swinggenerally vertically in either direction, and yielding means tonormally retain said extension in an active position as a continuationof its arm and to return the same to such position when removedtherefrom and released.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CHARLES F. QUICK.

